Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Slow Boat to Pandaria

I'm working my way through the Jade Forest on Honorshammer leveling with all the speed of a rush hour commute. Most of my guild mates have already hit level 90. Me? I'm Level 86 (and a half!).The questing in MoP has been very good so far. The stories are good, not great, but they move along well and leave the focus on questing. In SWTOR, I felt like I was constantly trying to get to that next bit of Class Story. With WoW, it's all just one story. The arcs aren't as separate. It's not told with the same intensity or panache, but I enjoy it.I did enjoy the one quest where the scouting party comes back and you relive their tale by taking control of them at different points. Very nice use of phasing and voice acting.I do have to question the Hozen. They talk funny, and seem to be put in for a bit of comic relief. I think I liked it better when I was killing them by the bucketload early on in Mists. To me, the Hozen seem to be WoW's Gungans.RetributionI'm leveling as Retribution, though I have ambitions to be a tank once I hit 90. I have to say that playing the Ret Paladin feels a little weird to me. I started playing my Paladin in Patch 1.9. In those days of yore, Paladins learned to body pull or stock up on EZ Throw Dynamite. Now being able to expend 2 GCDs from 30 meters (Judgment and Exorcism) feels just a little odd. I'm adjusting though.I've transmoged (is that even a word?) my sword into an Untamed Blade replacing the mace I had transmoged into Verigan's Fist. I know that mogging has been around a while, but I'm just discovering it, and its been a great addition to the game. I can totally see myself going back to the older raids once I'm geared up at 90.LowbieI'm also getting ready to roll my Panda. A friend from work has decided to roll his Panda on my server. He's making a monk, so I was thinking about what I should make.I have three former max level (85) toons: my Paladin, my Warrior and my Hunter. I have a couple of others that are close. My shaman topped out at 83, and my Druid at 80. I've taken a Death Knight out of the starter zone, but never any further. My highest mage is level 36. I've never rolled a Warlock, and never got a Rogue out of the starter area. Pandas can't be Rogues or Warlocks, and my friend is already a Monk. I tried making a mage, but they just look silly in the mage robes on the starter screen. I guess it wouldn't matter much if both me and my friend were monks.Now I really wish there was some way to send the full set of hierlooms I have over on Arygos to my Panda on Nessingwary.

I actually level both as retribution and protection. You should queue up as tank in random dungeon finder. You can get gears pretty quickly as a tank. The first two dungeon are actually a breeze. The palace is also a breeze. The monastery is actually significantly harder than the palace, even though it take place later in the story line. I race level my character to 89 so I can pick up the brewfest trinkets. My first night as a newbie 89 tank was an utter disaster with 4 wipes under my belt. The second night, I queue up as a tank 1/2 through 89 was much better, I managed to get all of the trinkets (both stamina, melee dps and tanking). Guess I can start fast tracking my DK to 89 as well.